Modular phone plugs and receptacles are well known in the telephone industry. The receptacles commonly are called "jacks". A jack includes an insulating housing having a plug-receiving socket. A plurality of terminals are mounted in the housing, the terminals including contact portions or springs extending diagonally rearwardly into the socket for engaging contacts of a modular phone plug.
These modular phone plugs and jacks have been widely adopted as standard components in the telephone industry, and they are being used in ever-increasing applications with equipment other than telephone apparatus. For example, data processing equipment may be installed adjacent a telephone exchange, as well as small computers and similar equipment. The use of modular phone jacks in such related equipment usually requires that the jacks be mounted on printed circuit boards. An example of such an application is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,458, dated Sep. 9, 1980. ln that patent, a modular phone jack is mounted to a printed circuit board by mounting pegs, along with solder tails of the jack terminals inserted into holes in the printed circuit board. These types of applications require considerable mounting forces in the context of the ever-increasing miniaturization of such jacks and their very delicate terminals.
This invention is directed to an improved modular phone jack for interconnecting a modular phone plug to a printed circuit board, with substantially zero interconnecting forces on the jack terminals when the board is initially inserted or coupled to the jack.